Council Approves Support For Trans Canada Traffic Control Lights

By Robert Thomas

At Monday afternoon’s Council meeting the issue of traffic safety on the Trans Canada Highway was discussed in response to a request of support from an area business group.

The Moose Jaw North Service Road Business Community (MJNSRBC) asked Council to support their initiative that would see the intersection of the Trans Canada Highway and 9th Avenue NW have traffic control lights installed. According to the MJNSRBC the intersection is unsafe due to the large volume of traffic, failure of other measures used to reduce speeds and the large number of collisions occurring there on a regular basis.

“These speeding metrics coupled with the consistent number of collisions continue to clash with the increasing development in Moose Jaw and surrounding areas. This alarming trend reinforces the importance of road safety on this major intersection,” the business group said in a report presented to Council.

The report had already been presented to the Honourable Jeremy Cockrill - Minister of Highways.

The group had come to Council seeking support for the effort to have the Province install vehicle actuated traffic control lights a resolution Administration advised Council they supported.

“This has been an outstanding issue for a number of years,” city manager Jim Puffalt told Council, adding something needed to be said about the safety of the intersections.

See - Intersection Studied Numerous Times for additional background information

Council did not only discuss the safety of the intersection of the Trans Canada and Highway and 9th Avenue NW but additionally the intersection of Thatcher Drive East and the Trans Canada Highway.

The North Service Road - MJ Independent file photo

Puffalt said it was important that when the Province has a new minister for Highways that the City have a position ahead of any discussion.

“So they know when they are coming to talk to us we’re already looking to have traffic lights there as a temporary measure,” he said go on to add a traffic exchange is a permanent answer to the safety issues at the two intersections.

“The City of Moose Jaw has waited some time to have some kind of safety measure. Waiting for (the Department of) Highways to determine capital construction is a long term delay. So for a short term measure put vehicle actuated lights on the highway. And provide some level of safety to the motorists of the Province as well as Moose Jaw.”

Because the Trans Canada Highway is a national corridor any improvements are funded 100 per cent by the Department of Highways.

Mayor Clive Tolley said he supported the initiative.

“I just wanted to show support for this. I think the City has wanted lights there for 50 years. They asked the former Minister of Highways there is a new Minister of Highways I think this is finally an opportunity to get it on the record we are asking for lights on the Highway,” Mayor Tolley said.

He also stated the City wanted lights at both the 9th Avenue NW and Thatcher Drive East intersections with the Trans Canada Highway.

“With the expansion of Brandt Industries in the northern part of our city we are going to get much more truck traffic coming into the city from Thatcher Drive (East) and the Number One Highway. Simply we need to be a safer way for people to get in and out of the city,” he said.

Councillor Heather Eby said she supported the initiative and that the “large amount of work” by the business community needed to be recognized.

“It’s a really good report and I am sure it will carry a lot of weight with the Province and maybe have a little bit more and get more action than we have been able to get,” Councillor Eby said.

Councillor Crystal Froese, who along with Mayor Tolley and Councillor Doug Blanc, attended the meeting between the Minister, his staff and the MJNSRBC said the meeting was important to the effort to repair the safety issues.

“It conveyed concerns directly to the Ministry that this needs to be looked at right away. They cannot wait for anymore delays,” Councillor Froese said.

“They are calling on the Minister to do something right away. It is not delay and I think the Mayor said we don’t need anymore studies and that because it has been a long standing issue in our community,” she said.

Councillor Dawn Luhning “out of curiosity” asked when the meeting occurred between Council members, the Minister and the business group.

Councillor Blanc said he was at the meeting and the “Ministry of Highways want to look at the entire corridor and come up with a plan and that could take a number of years.”

“What was put forward at that meeting with the business owners was ‘that is good to look at the corridor but let’s deal with the traffic, particularly the one they were after, let’s deal with it before someone is seriously injured and killed. And I think we have to support it,” he said.

Councillor Blanc said the Ministry of Highways could do a study on the whole corridor that could take a number of years but temporarily installing the vehicle actuated traffic control lights was an easy fix to the safety concerns.

“I think this is a good measure to start with,” he said.

Council approved the resolution of support unanimously in a 7 - 0 vote.